With winter close at hand area leaders are stepping up to help those in need face the extremely cold temperatures winter typically brings by providing warming shelters to the community.

Immanuel United Church of Christ Pastor Dr. Kim Purl, who is heading up the Emergency Warming Response Center for Warren County at her church, said that the program is part of a partnership formed over the past two years.

EWR: St. Charles/Lincoln/Warren is a project of the St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren County Continuum of Care, which works with area churches to provide care for those seeking its services.

The organization seeks to help community members during extreme cold weather incidents where the temperature is 20 degrees or below. The partnership also includes Anchor House of Warren County as a complimentary partner.

Purl said the dates of activation for EWR are set for Nov 16, 2025 through March 14, 2026. Due to holidays, the dates of Dec 24, 25, and 31 may have hotel or other provisions throughout the organization.

Anchor House Angels Director of Operations Jane Kelley said both the church and Anchor House need volunteers. Those interested in volunteering at the Liberty Belle can contact Maureen King at 636-399-4788.

Those interested in signing up for the Immanuel ICC location can sign up at SignUp.com: https://signup.com/go/nEUSdjU

Purl said when the temperature is forecast to dip below the 20 degree threshold a notification goes out to the respective entities connected with EWR by 3 p.m. to mobilize the locations to accept clients beginning at 9 p.m. In Warren County this notification would come from Emergency Management Director Mike Thornton, Purl said.

Purl said the facility at Immanuel UCC has seating for 91 in its fellowship hall. The church currently has cots for 20 people to sleep at the church and could have more cots available. She said Wright City officials would then possibly activate more locations in the community to act as additional triage centers to take in clients. Purl said there were other locations that could be used for warming centers if needed. Those other locations are currently in discussion with the city to act as secondary warming centers if needed.

She said because EWR only mobilizes in temperatures at or below 20 degrees, city officials could ask to open Immanuel in other circumstances, for instance if heavy snows hit the area where the temperature is between 21 and 32 degrees.

Purl said every night that there is an activation under EWR there need to be at least three volunteers present with at least one male and one female volunteer. Volunteers must be 21 years old to serve, however those 18-20 can serve so long as they are with a parent or guardian, Purl said.

Purl said volunteers are expected to serve shifts throughout the night. She said this year clients will be allowed to bring gentle pets with them, and the church will have kennels available for those wishing to bring pets. Clients utilizing this service will need to bring their own bedding and each pet must have a collar and leash.

“We know that pets are very important for clients’ decision making on seeking shelter,” Purl said.

Purl said hot dinners may be available. She said what is common is prepackaged shelf-stable meals that clients can quickly cook in the microwave for a ready made dinner. Purl said they can also provide such meals to clients to take with them when they leave the center.

Purl said the time each day for clients to arrive at the church on an activation night would be 9 p.m., and clients can stay overnight until 7 a.m. the next morning. She said while many leave the warming center to go to work, others need an option to stay warm during the day. Purl said this is where the partnership with Anchor House comes in. Anchor House activates at under 32 degrees and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Kelley said her facility can take the overflow from Immanuel.

“We just try to work in tandem and make sure everybody stays warm,” Kelley said.

Kelley said those participating at Anchor House would stay at the Liberty Belle.

Kelley said for Anchor House, Mike Thornton would again send out the notifications for activation for her facility.